Embedded memories occupy a large part of modern system-on-Chips (SoCs) and include a large amount of transistors in a single cut. Memories are designed with highly repetitive structures for tight packing. With transistor dimensions shrinking, transistors are becoming more sensitive to process variability. The smaller dimensions of transistors, along with the reduced operating voltages for improvement of power and performance, memory has become more susceptible to a variety of failure mechanisms including noise. Moreover, long term memory reliability concerns are also growing. For example, with requirements for improved system reliability (high availability), health monitoring and diagnostics of memory have become a key quality element in a system design.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation.